ETHNIC VIOLENCE "WELL ORGANISED"

Union Home Affairs Joint Secretary in-charge North Eastern States, Shambu Singh today said the clashes between Rabhas and Garos seemed “very well organised and not spontaneous.”

“The clashes were pre-planned and very well organised, however, involvement of militants’ in the clashes are ruled out, pending investigations though,” Singh said after a visit to riot-hit Goalpara and East Garo Hills district today.

The Army, he added, has arrested 89 people from along the Assam-Meghalaya border and seized a register assigning names of people to create trouble in trouble-torn areas.

“From the arrest, it has been initially established the conflict was planned and there maybe some organizations behind it. The clashes were not spontaneous,” Singh stated after his initial assessment of the ethnic clash.

The centre has decided to rush in four additional companies of security forces in Goalpara district where the situation has not improved over the past ten days.

Singh said there was firing from across Assam border today and the security forces have seized one AK-47 Rifle and one Light Machine Gun from the scene of the firing.

Ten Garo families, he added, have returned back to their respective homes from a relief camp in Mendipathar. “We expect more of this to take place, but it will take a bit of time. No one would like stay in the relief camps,” he added.

Singh after reviewing the relief camps said the situation was returning to normalcy in East Garo Hills, but security assessment suggest more troops are needed on the Assam side of the border.

“I visited the relief camps and assessed the ground situation. The situation is back to normal in East Garo Hills district, and is improving in Assam’s side. However, four more additional companies of Para-military forces would be sent to Assam apart from the already deployed five companies,” Singh said

Meghalaya today has arrested 103 rioters on its side of the boundary. The ten-day ethnic clash has displaced tens of thousands of people from their homes.

Assam-Meghalaya Director Generals of Police is scheduled to meet tomorrow in Guwahati together with Singh and try set up a joint patrolling mechanism in the riot-hit areas.